Phone addiction, FOMO, and mental health – is it all related?
A three-quarter length shot of a female teenager leaning up against red lockers in her school. She is on her phone looking down in disappointment wearing a full school uniform.
Teachers in England will now be able to ban mobile phones in schools. This comes after the mother of Brianna Ghey called for her daughter’s murder to be a “tipping point” in fixing “the mess” of the internet and social media.
Considering the Brianna Ghey case, her mother, Esther, reported that she was devasted that her “lonely daughter was killed by someone we believed to be a friend.” Brianna was also known to have an eating disorder and anxiety.
According to an official statistics digital survey from the NHS, in 2023 children aged 11-16 years with mental health issues are 10.8% more likely to be bullied online and 5 times more likely in real life.
The NHS survey also revealed in 2023, 1 in 5 children and young people aged 8-25 years had a mental disorder.
Considering much of this stems from phone usage, how effective will phone bans be in terms of reducing anti-social behaviors?
17–25-year-olds with a mental health issues were 3 times more likely to not be able to afford to take part in activities such as sports or social recreation. Is it reasonable to reduce anti-social behavior to phone addiction or to accessibility to real life social interaction?
Anti-social behaviors in young people can be linked to the overall mental health well-being of an individual, but are phones the direct cause of this behavior.
Ahead of the curb, in 2018 the first school in Scotland to ban phones, Kilgraston School for Girls, believes that phone bans do in fact endorse positive social behaviors. Headmistress, Mrs Davie said: “With a no mobile phone policy in school-time, we see the benefits of good old-fashion human interaction. For both staff and pupils alike, people are calmer and confident with this increased human interaction.”
School parent, Trisha Anderson, said: “When the phone ban was introduced at Kilgraston, I was skeptical, yet I noticed a difference, my daughter concentrates on her homework more. The fear of missing out also does not seem as prevalent as school mates are not able to post on media during school hours. I believe it to be a positive change.”
The fear of missing out (FOMO) can cause people to believe that they have a lower social rank, this belief in general creates anxiety.
A study conducted in 2021 found that age and gender do not affect FOMO. However, those who use social media excessively will display higher anxiety levels compared to those who do not.
Extreme screen addiction can create a sense of false reality, and impressionable young people may adopt this false actuality becoming unsatisfied with their own life.
The fear of missing out (FOMO) by being absorbed into this digital space can also affect sleeping patterns which furthers increased mental health problems.
Overall, we can all do with a little time off our phones. Currently there’s not enough evidence that show how effective phone bans are, but there is a sense of hope that it will do more good than harm.
